–REO recommends ministerial intervention

By: Indrawattie Natram

MOMENTS after announcing that rice harvesting has commenced and that farmers are being offered $3000 for a bag of grade A paddy, Region Two Vice-Chairman, Humace Oodit revealed that two millers have millions of dollars in payments outstanding for previous crops.

He was, at the time, delivering a report concerning agriculture in the region during a statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Wednesday.

Oodit told the council that two millers still owe rice farmers money. He did not disclose an exact figure, but the Guyana Chronicle was subsequently informed that the payments amount to millions. Also, the millers were not named.

The council was informed that rice farmers are currently being offered prices ranging from $3000 to $2800 by millers based on the quality of the paddy.
According to the vice-chairman, the Technical Field Officers from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) continue to sensitise rice farmers using on-field demonstrations to show them how to deal with paddy bug infestations. He said that several field demos were conducted and based on the reports, there has been a noticeable decline in the prevalence of the bug.

Regional Executive Officer (REO) and clerk of the RDC, Devanand Ramdatt, in commenting on the contents of the report, said that he is very concerned that rice farmers are still owed for paddy from the last crop. He suggested that Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, be informed of such happenings so that immediate intervention can be made.

Ramdatt also registered concern regarding the failure of combine operators to use low-beds and rubber paths, which has led to recently repaired roads being damaged. He informed that necessary actions were taken and some of the roads were fixed by the owners. The REO used the opportunity to call on rice farmers and those involved in the harvesting process to exercise caution while using the roadways.

Meanwhile, this newspaper interviewed several rice farmers and they expressed dissatisfaction with the prices being offered for their paddy. They have since called on Minister Mustapha to re-visit the region to address the numerous concerns they have regarding the purchasing of paddy by the millers. This newspaper contacted a few millers who explained that their prices are usually set based on what is being offered on the international market.

Corporate Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Imam Bacchus and Sons Limited, Aadil Baksh, said that the company is yet to begin purchasing paddy from farmers.

However, he noted that the Imam Bacchus company intends to reward the “good farmers” with a better price. Baksh explained that over the years farmers were given one price for all the grades of paddy, a practice which he described as demotivating.

He assured that the company will be offering a higher price to those farmers who have grade A paddy. Further, he explained that given the fact that his mill is not as big as the other mills on the Essequibo Coast, the company usually resorts to its last crop payment as the defaulting price.

Baksh said based on experience, the pricing for paddy is often driven by the prices offered internationally and the contract to export. It is because of this a miller cannot commit to a price unless he/she has an international contact, he explained.